The Water Tribe Girl (Avatar: The Last Airbender; Book One: Water)

Bato of the Water Tribe

Aya's POV

"Hey, look!" Aang's voice called out and I slide down a dirt slope to join him. "A sword made out of a whale's tooth."

I examined the weapon closely and it was a whale tooth scimitar. It's a Water Tribe weapon, one my father used.

"Let me see that," I said and Aang handed it to me. I heard someone come up behind me and it was Sokka.

"This is a Water Tribe weapon," Sokka informed and I nodded. "See if you can find anything else."

The boys searched around for more weapons and I stayed put.

——

Flashback

Four Years Ago

A young eight-year-old girl watched the Southern Water Tribe warriors preparing their ships, loading them with supplies. Her older brother, Sokka, stood next to her with a wistful look on his face. Both kids wish to join the warriors but they are both too young. Aya knows only men are allowed to be warriors but her father made an exception for her because her fighting ability is better than most of the warriors.

Aya was able to handle a weapon at the age of three and able to fight at the age of six. She's special but doesn't know it yet. When Aya gets older, she may be known as the best female warrior in the Southern Water Tribe.

Aya wants to be a bender but she got unlucky and wasn't born with bending like her sister. If Aya does become a bender then she will be unstoppable because with her impeccable fighting ability and whatever bending she could possess combine she will be extremely powerful.

She's special.

——

Aya's POV

"Did someone lose something?"

Katara's voice brought me out of the flashback I had of my father leaving the last time we saw him.

Aang was rummaging through a bush and spoke cheerfully to my sister. "No, we found something!"

I scanned the area and spotted a spearhead on the ground. I kneeled down beside it and nudged my brother to get his attention. Sokka kneeled down beside me and picked up the spearhead and ran his fingers along the point. It was burnt.

"It's burned." He said and stood up. He went up to a tree that had scorch marks and sharp cuts running across the bark. "There was a battle! Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of firebenders. The firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill."

Sokka sprinted down the hill and we followed him. The four of us raced down a dirt path and leaped over a few rocks before reaching a sandy beach. Sokka stood still and the three of us stopped in our tracks.

"So, then what happened?" Aang asked Sokka, intrigued.

"I don't know. The trail ends here." Sokka shrugged with disappointment.

"Wait, look!" Katara called out and pointed to something in the distance. We turned the way she was pointing and saw a ship, it was sitting idly on the shore of the beach.

I recognized it immediately. It was a Water tribe ship.

I beamed at it. "It's one of our boats!"

The three of us run toward it to examine it better with Aang trailing behind.

"Is this dad's boat?" Katara asked.